129 people have died and nearly 200 more were hurt after a chaotic and violent riot occurred on Saturday, in Indonesia, after a soccer match.
The nation’s two biggest teams, Arema FC and rival Persebaya Surabaya, clashed following Arema FC being beaten 3-2 in the city of Malang.
People from the losing team had gone into the pitch as police fired tear gas, causing a stampede. This resulted in incidences of suffocation. There are many claims that the tear gas didn’t disperse, resulting in shortness of breath and unresponsiveness.
To add, authorities pushed people back into the stands, striking some with batons and kicking others. Chilling footage shows fans going over fences as they attempted to get away from the smoke clouds. Those who died include two police officers and children.
Images also revealed police cars burnt out on the pitch after the chaos inside the ground was over. However, the riot persisted on the streets long after the competition had ended.
More videos posted online reveals hallways of hospitals that seemed to be filled with dead bodies. Reports indicate that the hospitals were attempting to deal with the number of hurt fans as more had been confirmed to have died throughout the evening.
“We are concerned and deeply regret this incident. We share our condolences and hopefully this will be a valuable lesson for all of us,” said the president of PT Liga Indonesia Baru.
It has been reported that Arema won’t be hosting future games for the remainder of the season.
On Sunday, Indonesia’s chief security minister stated on Instagram that there were too many spectators allowed into the competition. 42,000 tickets had been sold in a stadium that holds 38,000 individuals.
The Indonesia league has been suspended for a week because of the deadly occurrence.
